Earthmoving equipment manufacturer Shantui will officially launch its 48 t SE480 excavator and SL60W-3 wheel loader onto the African market. The launch will take place at the inaugural bauma Africa trade fair, which will be held in Midrand, Johannesburg, from September 18 to 21.

Shantui Equipment Southern Africa director and vice GM for Shandong Shantui Construction Machinery Import & Export Dylan Chicken believes that the bauma Africa trade fair will serve as the ideal platform for the company’s new product launch.

“Some of Shantui’s latest product and network developments will be launched at its allocated 800 m2 exhibition area. In addition, Shantui will also demonstrate a range of its established machinery to emphasise the company’s long-term commitment to the rapidly developing African economy,” he explains.

Chicken stresses that Africa will play an instrumental role in the future growth and development of the Shantui brand, which cur-rently has a machine population of more than 5 500 units throughout the continent, of which more than 550 units are in Southern Africa.

“Africa, which holds unlimited potential for growth opportunities, is a strategic market for Shantui and this is clearly evident in three of the company’s ten global subsidiaries being located on the continent.”

Shantui Equipment Southern Africa vice GM Garron Troskie points out that the company’s new SE480 excavator boasts a 47.6 t operating weight and a bucket capacity of 2.3 m3, making it ideally suited to mining and quarrying applications.

“Mining and quarrying are among the most rapidly developing sectors in Africa and the introduction of the SE480 excavator will assist Shantui in gaining a stronger foothold in this market. The excavator offers power and quality at an affordable price and is designed for quarrying applications and entry-level mining operations,” he says.

“The Shantui SL60W-3 wheel loader is powered by a Cummins engine, and this unit has an operating weight of 21 t and a 4 m³ bucket capacity,” Chicken states.

In addition to opening its first subsidiary in South Africa, the company also has two subsidiaries in East and West Africa.

“Several African economies are still in the infancy stages of development and, as a result, many projects do not necessarily have highly skilled technicians or the required hardware and software for advanced diagnostics. Instead, they require a simple yet robust machine that can withstand the harsh African climate and operating conditions. Emerging economies now recognise and trust the Shantui brand to meet these unique demands,” Chicken states.

Although Shantui has had unprecedented success in Africa, Chicken points out that, although the company does not plan to sig-nificantly expand internally, it does plan to expand its distributor network, where each individual distributor becomes an exclusive supplier of Shantui products in a specific region, supported through subsidiary hubs.

The bauma Africa trade fair will provide 60 000m2 of exhibition space at the Gallagher Convention Centre, bringing together more than 500 exhibitors and 15 000 visitors from the construction and mining sectors.